Connecticut guard Ryan Boatright cuts a strand of the netting on the rim after his team defeated Michigan State 60-54 during a regional final at the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 30, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Connecticut guard Ryan Boatright cuts a strand of the netting on...

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ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 07: Ryan Boatright #11 of the Connecticut Huskies celebrates on the court after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 60-54 in the NCAA Men's Final Four Championship at AT&T Stadium on April 7, 2014 in Arlington, Texas.

Photo: Ronald Martinez, Getty Images

ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 07: Ryan Boatright #11 of the Connecticut...

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Connecticut's Ryan Boatright lands on the floor after scoring as Michigan State's Gary Harris holds the ball in the second half of a regional final at the NCAA college basketball tournament on Sunday, March 30, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Connecticut's Ryan Boatright lands on the floor after scoring as...

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Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie hugs Ryan Boatright during the second half of a regional semifinal against Iowa State in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2014, in New York. Connecticut won 81-76. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie hugs Ryan Boatright during the...

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Connecticut's Ryan Boatright goes up for a shot over Iowa State's Melvin Ejim during the second half in a regional semifinal at the NCAA men's college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Connecticut's Ryan Boatright goes up for a shot over Iowa State's...

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Connecticut's Ryan Boatright, left, reaches to block a pass by Iowa State's Monte Morris during the first half in a regional semifinal of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament Friday, March 28, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Connecticut's Ryan Boatright, left, reaches to block a pass by...

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Connecticut guard Ryan Boatright, left, defends DePaul guard Brandon Young during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Rosemont, Ill., on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. Connecticut won 81-69. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

After three years in Storrs and fresh off a national championship, the 5-foot-10 guard was ready to forgo his last season at UConn. He and teammate DeAndre Daniels came in together and they were going to exit that way, too.

But, just before it was time to go, Boatright decided to unpack and stick around another year.

"I was definitely going to leave, but I took that long to make the right decision," said Boatright prior to Friday night's Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Classic at Mohegan Sun Arena. "I think I made the right decision."

What made him do it?

"I feel like I worked way too hard all my life," he said. "I'm a better player than a second-round pick, so I just wanted to come back and raise my stock. I get another year of experience showing the world and showing the scouts that I can start at the point guard position."

Boatright's decision sounds similar to what Shabazz Napier did a year ago when the latter opted to return and ended up guiding UConn to its fourth national title since 1999. Napier also played his way into the first round of the NBA Draft, with the Charlotte Hornets taking him with the 24th pick in June and then trading him to the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat.

Napier had Boatright riding shotgun on the championship run, but this year coach Kevin Ollie will only have one of them in the backcourt.

"I shared that responsibility with Shabazz," said Boatright, who is the lone Husky senior. "Now that he's gone I'm kind of taking that leading role by myself. I'm looking forward to it. I got KO (Ollie) on my side. I got my teammates on my side and I just want the best for everybody."

In order to accomplish that, Boatright followed his coach's advice after a few days of celebration following the championship.

"Coach says all the time `don't get drunk on success,' but it's hard not to," Boatright said. "It started right after we won; we wanted that feeling again. Right after we won we let our bodies get right for a few days and we wanted to get right back to work.

"We've been working since a few days after the game and we look forward to the season."

Boatright has a solid grasp on what he needs to do going into his final college season.

"Just be me," Boatright said. "Just be myself. Play hard on both ends of the floor and be a leader. Lead the team. And those are the things I need to do to just help the team win.

"You can't really say what you need to do; you just try to play your game and not mess it up. Really, my main focus this year is leading the team and trying to make everyone else around me better."

The Huskies can use a guy like Boatright with a young, talented team that includes sophomore center Amida Brimah, North Carolina State transfer Rodney Purvis and heralded freshman Daniel Hamilton. UConn figures to be one of the top teams again in the American Athletic Conference along with SMU and Memphis.